21,401 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

If two canes are affected, you should take the whole plant immediately. If only one, and you found it very early, you can try removing it at the graft or crown. This usually does not work, but it's worth trying for a mature rose or one that would be hard to replace. A more radical approach is to dig the whole plant and then split the crown, saving a cane or two and associated roots on the opposite side from the RRD cane. Then replant the hopeful part as a bare-root. This doesn't work with own-roots that have formed a taproot nor with grafted roses that haven't gone own-root. The rose needs to have a crown wide enough to split. Use a hatchet driven with a sledge or maul.
If the RRD rose was touching another rose, prune that side of the neighbor rose severely. I have definitely seen contagion by crawling to neighbor plants.
Very sorry you have an RRD rose, but I'm glad to hear from you, redsox. How is the garden otherwise?

Howdy, Michael! I think we will go ahead and remove the whole rose. I am suspicious of a neighbor too, and it is one that I believe you have as well: Mother of Pearl. Not that I have seen any strange growth, just that the spring flush seemed disappointing.
I am proud of my garden for the most part, although it grows despite a bit of benign neglect as I am part of the sandwich generation. My orchids suffer too.
Hope all is well with you!


Sometimes you just get a dud plant. I've seen this in a few beds where I've done mutiple plantings of the same rose. Same bed, same light conditions, same soil and treatment and they just refuse to flourish even though the other 4 or 5 of the same variety do just fine. It happens.

In my experience, if it's a long-term problem, there's something in that hole that you missed - a rock, etc., that's blocking the roots.
If it's something else, then what others have recommended may work. Be sure it gets at least 6 hrs of sunlight. Build up a 3-4 ft diameter drip ring with mulch (I like shredded pine bark mulch), and feed it organics - my organic of choice is Mills Magic Mix.
If none of that works, there's something in that hole.


Frau Dagmar flowers very heavily in spring, but also repeats well all season and very well if dead headed. If not, she also sets beautiful red and large hips that add fall and winter interest. She's a beautiful rose and one of my favorite Rugosas.

What's your general location & growning zone?
Are you sure they are dead?
A pic would really help us...
Were they big or small Ko's?
Maybe rabbits ate them?
Our young knockouts were eaten to ground last winter but look great now...
This post was edited by jim1961 on Sun, Jun 23, 13 at 21:43

As far as I know, they have retired.... don't know if someone else has the business. I found them easy to contact and was really happy with their service..... perhaps you have tried to contact them since they retired.... it is too bad they are gone! I tried to propagate Island pearl from cuttings.... in a very slap happy fashion, and so far one is all that is left!

I know this is an older post, but thought I would respond anyway. I just bought an Island Pearl Rose from Milner Gardens. They have an ongoing plant sale of unique, high-quality plants.
Here is a link that might be useful: Milner Gardens


seil, how long was your Actinovate trial, and did you start before blackspot appeared?
The one Actinovate label that I found listed mildew but not blackspot for roses.
Here is a link that might be useful: Actinovate label

I had a JFK that I shovel pruned after 4 years. it was always soooo promising. excelent growth, long canes, no black spot (only mildew when the damp ocean air sticks around too long), and HUGE HUGE HUGE flower buds which never opened all the way because I think it is too moist and/or cool so close to the ocean.
I gave up and swore off white roses. :)

Follow the dead cane downward and you will find something wrong near the base. It is broken, or has been bored hollow by an insect larva, or the bark has been girdled by a canker fungus (patch of black or brownish bark). Cut the dead cane out.
This post was edited by michaelg on Sun, Jun 23, 13 at 12:26

I had this happen on my Baby Blanket rose tree a few years ago. Do what Michael suggests and find the point where there's some kind of injury and cut it off below that. It took a year or so to fill back out but my tree recovered just fine afterwards.

I did go to helpmefind, but everyone on their list seems to be out of this rose at this time...
Thank you deervssteve, I'll try rosesofyesterday...
I really wouldn't want anything shipped until Fall, so will keep my eye out for this rose, it sounds great for our area!


Oops...here he is.
Here is a link that might be useful: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=258833130809968&l=efa5bde95f

Oops...here he is.
Here is a link that might be useful: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=258833130809968&l=efa5bde95f






Mowing will work fine on the lawn side. You can buy plastic root barrier 16" deep to set on the unmowed side. Roots that produce suckers probably don't grow that deep.
If you are ordering grafted roses, you can set the bottom of the graft right at soil level and this will prevent suckering. Canadian producers such as Hortico, Palatine, and Pickering produce grafted bare-root roses which are a good value for US consumers.
Normally most of us recommend burying the graft just slightly for zone 6 gardens, but not for winter-hardy roses that sucker.
What spacing do people suggest for a hedge of Dagmar? Three feet?
In my experience, Frau Dagmar root suckers with the best of the Rugosa's. To give you an idea, I planted a couple of them to frame the opposite corners of the bottom edge of a kidney shaped flower bed in my Mom's garden. They stay a nice compact 4ft tall, but have suckered so extensively in the last 5-6 years that they are basically about 10-12 by 8-10 ft now in terms of length and width.
That was from a single plant in each corner... I've offered to remove some of the suckered plants, but Mom likes them like this as they fill in the area nicely, so we've let them sucker unchecked and they are a sight to behold in full bloom.
I'm not sure a root barrier like plastic edging would stop it. You'd need to go deeper than 6" down and would need something stronger.